Not looking good for Froome
 

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chr...after-setback/

i hate to see it end this way for him. I’d prefer to see him in the TDF this year.

Crappy situation indeed, but not too surprising.

It's been what, 7 months since his crash where he basically broke everything?

I think they should've planned on a 2 year recovery runway from the get go.

nasty crash for sure

A lesson to us all keep 2 hands on bars as much as possible

What I would like to see is a realistic assessment of his physical condition. I certainly hope that he is being given good advice about his chances for being competitive again. While I don't count myself as one of his fans, I do admire his ability to come back after setbacks. I wish him all the best for this upcoming year. I would love to see him back at the TDF again, but not if he has to risk his long term health

I have a feeling he will ride the TDF. Eneos is just pulling everyone’s chain at this point.

Doesn't surprise me. As we get older it takes longer to rebound from injury or illness. Took me nearly two years at age 60 to recover from similar injuries when I was hit by a car.

One mistake Froome might be making is trying to regain his same pre-injury form, including weight. Pro cyclists are already at risk for bone density loss. It gets worse with age. He' be better off packing on some muscle weight, focusing on a strong and healthy body even if it means weighing 165-175 lbs, which he could easily carry with his height, as long as it's not long mountain stages.

He should work on one-day races, mostly to regain confidence. That's never been one of his strengths. But it's worth a shot while recovering. Hell, maybe enter some triathlons.

And for pity's sake, to improve his bike handling skills. Froome has an incredible engine and determination. But he looks like a pterodactyl that swooped out of the sky, stole a bike and flew into a race. Somehow he manages to tuck in that enormous wingspan for time trials, but on every other stage he looks like he's playing rollerball, trying to elbow everyone and maybe hook a spectator or two along the way.

Anyway, I wish him well. I'd bet he has another grand tour win in him, but it won't be this year.

he’s on the wrong team now. carapaz, thomas and bernal are all among the best gt riders in the world. time to either retire, initiate a contract buyout and switch teams or become the super-domestique.

Yeah, that statement from Ineos director Cioni sounded a bit dismissive of Froome's future. Usually you'd expect a generic, vanilla supportive statement from a team director, even if the star appeared to be washed up. Perhaps something lost in translation or misinterpreted by the rumor mill. The Italian news media have some unique characteristics that carry over to their coverage of cycling too -- notably the polemica approach. My understanding is limited, coming second hand through other, primarily English language, journalists who describe it as an emphasis on controversy and sensationalism, rather than the academic definition of polemic as opposed to rhetoric in debate. It's difficult to weigh Cioni's seemingly dismissive comments apart from that context.

Even if he's still a bit twitchy in the peloton during a full gas race, Froome might still recover enough to do well in time trials. That would better suit my personal opinion that if I was in his shoes, I'd forget about trying to keep my weight down to 145 or so this year. He's talked about looking forward to retirement so he can get in the weight room and pack on some muscle. Well, why not now? He could bulk up to a very strong 165 or so and do just fine in time trials, assuming his physical recovery is coming along well enough. Get some strong showings under his belt as confidence boosters, then aim for the TdF in 2021.

Now that Ineos has Denis also, Froome would need to find a different team to sell himself as a time trialist.

I'm sorry about all this. Froome has never been very popular in this forum, but I think we all agree that this is a rotten way for him to exit.

Wiggins won the TdF once (with a huge assist from Froome) got knighted, and rested on his laurels. Froome won four times and was seemingly never loved by anybody.

Deception begins

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/chr...understanding/

Froome may have a career as a politician or corporate troubleshooter after racing. He seems nearly unflappable regardless of the buzz. Many athletes would blow a Twitter cork over that kind of rumor and its implications.

Who knows? It definitely is true that the Ineos training camp in Spain was a month ago - that's a matter of public record. It's also true, as mentioned earlier by canklecat, that the Italian press has a penchant for stowing controversy.

It's pointless to debate whether the first reports are accurate or if Froome is engaging in "deception". Either he'll show up in racing form this spring or he won't. I don't want to see him win the TdF, but I'm rooting for him to return to some kind of respectable racing form. We're talking about this guy's health and we should all be on the same side for that.

I want Froome to be at 100% good health

and yes... I want to see him get beat by another rider while he is at 100% good health

He deserved better.

it is a dangerous sport

Retire, move to another team, or join Thomas as Bernal's domestique.

I have no beef with Froome's success. He's pretty low key, like Miguel Indurain. But we're in a different era when hype an trash talking are the norm everywhere, regardless of whether it's appropriate or sells tickets.

Wiggo seldom misses an opportunity to offer an opinion about anything that catches his attention. Some fans dote on that in public figures. It boosts their relevance after retirement from whatever originally gained them attention. There aren't many one-time TdF winners whose names are still relevant years afterward, other than to hardcore cycling fans.

Froome seems content with doing the work. I suspect he has a long range big picture plan beyond cycling, but I doubt he'd talk about it while he's still an active pro.

For awhile I tended to join the chorus of finding him a bit boring in races. But after reviewing several videos it's pretty clear he'd still be successful even without the Sky/Ineos machine. He'd still be a force in time trials where it's just the cyclist and the course, and some mountain stages where teams unravel and eventually it's just rider and road again.

That's encouragement.

Chris Froome is probably one of the few riders who could pull off a comeback like this at his age. But 34 is not young, especially in today's youth-oriented peloton. He broke a lot of bones and has been gone a long time. Would Ineos even give him a chance again if there were any doubt?

We will see in a few short months.

I call bs, all smoke screen. Froome is riding the TdF